Kidnap Gang Strikes Again in South

ZAMBOANGA CITY, 14 February 2004 — Gunmen snatched a 48-year-old trader in the southern province of Sultan Kudarat, where several armed groups are known to operate, the military said yesterday. Ten gunmen seized Zoila Kansi inside her store at a busy market in Lambayong town on Thursday night and was taken on board a car toward Buliok town in Maguindanao province, said a report of the military’s Southern Command. The report said the abductors were led by Manti Akang, also known as Commander Renegade, along with Mangil Mangitas and Tauto Sainal, who are alleged to be members of a kidnap syndicate operating in the province.